He Was My Duck Duck, and I Was His Goose
by theravenclawquill
Summary: Tawni Hart has some secrets that she's been keeping from everyone - including how she really feels about her old flame, Chad Dylan Cooper. But she'll always play second-fiddle to Sonny, and it kills her. Tawni/Chad/Sonny triangle.
1. Is This About The New Girl?

(A/N) Hey readers! (: So I was watching the Sonny marathon on Disney (is it embarrassing that I'm 19 and I still watch DC!? Haha). Anyway, I became fascinated with Tawni because I could see parts of myself in her, especially her feelings of always being "second-best." I got kind of into writing this one, cause it was like writing in my diary!. So sorry if it gets kind of rambling-y in parts; I was ranting vicariously through her character, haha. And I thought it'd be interesting to explore a potential relationship with Chad, given their shared past. So it's a Tawni/Chad/Sonny love triangle. I really hope you enjoy, despite the uncommon pairing! (:

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From as far back as she could remember, Tawni Hart had been an actress.

Which could explain why also as far back as she could remember, she had been afflicted with what she liked to call an overactive "movie mind." Basically, she had the amusing habit of seeing her life as a movie, with symptoms ranging from narrating the events of her life like a film trailer to imagining events with a set of stage directions or soundtrack.

Which could also explain why one September afternoon found her staring sadly into her dressing room mirror, admiring how aesthetically pleasing the contrast of her glossy blond hair was against the sleek solitary tear trailing down her left cheek.

Her movie mind was whirring. _And another one bites the dust_, she thought wistfully, not knowing exactly what the phrase meant or where it even came from; only that it sounded movie-trailer appropriate for her current situation. _As 'All By Myself' plays mournfully in the background... _Tawni squeezed her eyes carefully to induce another dramatic tear. _A lone tear cuts a wet path across her smooth skin. She was tired of never getting to be the protagonist in life's story, never winning and having no one care – _

"Oh Jesus, Tawni, stop being such a drama queen."

Startled, Tawni spun around to face the interrupting intruder. Upon recognizing who it was, she exhaled sharply and grumbled, "Gee, thanks for knocking. Not." Quickly wiping her tears away, she turned back around in her pink chair and sat in defiant silence. Through the reflection in the mirror, her eyes met the piercing blue ones of her guest.

Chad Dylan Cooper was leaning against the doorframe, with his hands in the pockets of his oversized blazer and his usual one-sided smirk on his face. He didn't seem the least bit sorry that he had just barged into Tawni's private dressing room.

"Seriously, Tawni," he said, strolling easily into the room and plopping down on the nearest couch. "You've got to cut all this drama crap. It's unhealthy to feel so much emotion. It'll give you wrinkles, you know."

Tawni gasped and, as a reflex, leaned towards her mirror. But her olive complexion was, as usual, flawless. She turned back to him and folded her arms. "I'm not surprised – this coming from the guy who has no emotions," she quipped with a haughty smile. "But I'll have you know, I will never have wrinkles. Not if my mom's plastic surgeon has anything to say about it."

"Charming." Chad clapped his hands and jumped up from the couch. He approached Tawni and placed his elbows on the back of her chair. He leaned down so that he was visible in her field of view in the mirror. "Anyway. Tell me."

Tawni's heart thudded, and she felt her forehead begin to moisten. Chad was so close that she could feel his disheveled blond strands brush against her left ear. His steady breathing on her cheek. His sharp scent trailing like a ghost under her nose. _Like pine._

"What do you want, Chad?" she managed to breathe out, her words coming out a lot quieter than she had anticipated.

"Why the long face?" he murmured in her ear. "Is this about the new girl?"

_The new girl. Sonny Munroe. _She'd never even met Sonny, and the mere mention of her turned Tawni's stomach. But she didn't let it show. "New girl?" she laughed nonchalantly. "Oh, psh. I'd almost forgotten that she was coming! What did Marshall say her name was? Tranny?"

"Don't lie to me, Hart," Chad continued silkily, never breaking his piercing eye contact with Tawni through the mirror. "I've known you too long for you to pull that on me. I think you're jealous. Worried. Anxious. Am I right?"

"Jealous? What? Psh! That's ridiculous!" Tawni sputtered in noisy protest for several moments, trying to ignore how spot-on Chad's prognosis was. When she finally realized that he wasn't going to cave, but was simply going to stand there with the same stupid smirk on his face, she gave up. "Fine. A little bit. There, you happy?"

"Quite." He released his grip from her chair and dropped back down on the couch.

Tawni inhaled, feeling her heart resume beating.

Chad folded his hands behind his head and swung his feet onto the futon. "So what, you think she's going to, like, jeopardize your spot on the show or something?"

Tawni's throat closed. Her lips barely moved as she whispered tremblingly, "I'm never going to be the star." The slightest crack in her façade of perfection.

"What?" Chad spat out the word as he rolled his eyes in disbelief. "_You_ don't think you're a star? What are you talking about? I've never seen anyone act more like a self-absorbed and self-aware star than you do."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. Except me." Chad smirked briefly. "But seriously. You don't think you're a star? Bullshit. That's like saying Grady doesn't think he's fat."

Tawni shook her head slightly as she realized her mistake. Now, she wanted nothing more than to retract what she had let spill. To Chad Dylan Cooper, of all people. She was regretting this whole conversation. _He wouldn't understand_.

Because there was something Tawni had never told anyone.

Something none of her current acquaintances knew about her.

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(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it! Please feel free to leave me some inspiration with a review/question/comment/anything! Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon. (:


	2. She Was an Extra

(A/N) Thank you to Banana babe903, zoezora, and SDKLSDGH for the reviews! Virtual hugs for you! (: Your feedback are definitely appreciated and make me write faster, hehe. Anyway, I apologize in advance if this chapter is boring, but it had to be done. It's kind of like the filler chapter that explains Tawni's secret and why she is the way she is.

But no worries! In reward for bearing with this explanatory chapter, there's some Chad/Tawni action coming up, as well as Sonny/Chad of course. Also, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow to make up for this. Haha.

On to the chapter! (:

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(From last chapter):

_Because there was something Tawni had never told anyone. Something none of her current acquaintances knew about her._

That is, Tawni Hart was perfectly aware that she wasn't the best-at-everything, loved-by-everyone starlet she constantly acted as. Oh yeah, she knew. She'd always known that. In fact, she'd spent the first twelve years of her life as a very different Tawni – a Tawni actually much like Sonny Munroe. Optimistic. Cheerful.

A dreamer.

_Unrealistic._ Tawni couldn't help thinking now, bitterly. _I used to be such a foolish child, trapped in my self-made idealistic dream. Luckily, I eventually opened my eyes._

One day, as she'd looked around at her friends and acquaintances, she had seen each of them excelling at a specific something she could never have.

Each time Tawni had her eye on a cute boy, she would eventually hear whispers through the halls that said boy was falling for slender, exotic Caroline Tanner. Or bubbly, spontaneous Tinsley Lovett. Or athletic, glossy Katelyn Johnson. _Blah, blah, blah. _And so on. It happened every time. With every boy. Tawni never won. It hurt just as much every time.

And each time Tawni studied her hardest or tried her best, it'd always be Stacey Ko who got the part in the toothpaste commercial. Nicole Berry who got the cheer captain position. Jolie Carter who won 'Class Friendliest.' Tawni had always given 10% more than everyone else, yet seemed to get nothing in return.

With a sinking heart, the young Tawni came to realize that perhaps she wasn't a protagonist in life's movie.

Perhaps she was an extra.

Because extras didn't have to win. By the end of the movie, their conflicts needed no resolutions. Their goals needed no achievement. The loose ends of their plotline didn't have to be all neatly tied up before the credits rolled. Extras just… didn't matter.

Once Tawni realized this, her usual warm demeanor began to melt away. In its place began to form a cool, icy shell of her former self. _Forget caring about other people,_ she thought. _Forget compassion. Being nice. They'll never appreciate it anyway._

And once she realized that she would never be the star in life's movie, she decided to take matters into her own hands. If life wasn't going to make her a star, then by God, she was going to become one the only way she could – by acting like one.

Even if she knew that she wasn't.

When she was 13, she'd left her Hollywood middle school and lame child TV show acting jobs behind to start at _So Random!_. Where she could finally be a star, if only a literal one. And then today Marshall had dropped that bomb on her – that this Sonny Munroe girl from Wisconsin was joining the cast. Tawni didn't need her. She didn't need anyone threatening her only chance to be something. _So Random!_ was the only thing Tawni had, and no one was going to take that away from her.

And at _So Random!_ and Studio 2, no one knew who she used to be.

No one, that is, except Chad Dylan Cooper.

This exception wasn't by choice, by any means; in fact, Tawni had rather he didn't know. He was a liability. Unfortunately, she had known Chad since she was 6, when they both starred on the short-lived children's show _The Goody Gang._ Thus, he got to experience "old Tawni," the wide-eyed naïve one who would regale him with tales of perfect princesses, teach him about chivalry, and argue with vehement support for the idea of happily-ever-afters.

Tawni was embarrassed that someone from her past knew of her secret, and, at the same time, annoyed that she couldn't have started over with a clean slate. She often comforted herself with the fact that Chad probably assumed that she actually became the diva she pretended to be; assumed that perhaps she had legitimately gained that confidence over the years and that her new cool exterior was just a gradual result of the casualties of a showbiz life.

So Chad couldn't know the truth.

Tawni wouldn't let him. She needed to bury the only link between her past and present.

Chad couldn't know that deep down, Tawni was moreso an insecure and hurt little girl, embittered by life's beatings and forced to put on a strong face, than a confident, cutthroat star.

He had unknowingly gotten it right when he said that he'd "never seen anyone act more like a self-absorbed and self-aware star" than Tawni did. The key word was 'act.' Tawni hadn't been herself in a long time.

For as long as she could remember, Tawni Hart had been an actress.

In more ways than one.

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(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it! Again, sorry for the short filler-type chapter. It kills me to post chapters like this, but I'll make it up to you! Please feel free to leave me some inspiration with a review/question/comment/anything! Thanks for reading, and I'll update very soon. (:


	3. The Goody Gang Days

(A/N) Thank you to zoezora, and plutodeadlyscream (I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way!) for the reviews. More virtual hugs for you guys (: Anyway, Tawni's second big secret before getting to present day events. AND you get to find out flashback dialogue from Chad and Tawni's past. Yee.

On to the chapter! (:

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"Okay, okay! So he's not _that_ fat."

Chad Dylan Cooper's confused voice cut through Tawni's thoughts like a razor.

Tawni jolted back to reality. "Sorry, what?"

"I don't know!" Chad said impatiently, throwing up his arms. "You got weirdly quiet after I said Grady was fat. Kid seriously needs to lay off the donuts though, just saying." Then, a flash of recognition. "Wait. Or did you get weirdly quiet after I asked you why you didn't think you were a star?"

"Oh!" Tawni let out a fake, high-pitched giggle. "That. No, I was just being dramatic again. I'm a star. I just don't want anyone to share my spotlight."

Chad chuckled, looking slightly relieved that Tawni was back to normal. "Girl, I feel you on that. I don't even like it when Portlyn's has to share a scene with me. And she's hot. I can't even imagine what it must be like for you to share scenes with such unattractive people."

Tawni couldn't help herself. She felt powerless to stop the next words that tumbling of her mouth, "But what if Sonny Munroe is attractive?"

At these words, Chad Dylan Cooper paused and went momentarily silent. For the smallest fraction of a second, something in his perfected hardened veneer softened. His angular jaw went slightly slack, and the usually intense blue of his iridescent eyes became softer, almost compassionate. But as quickly as the expression appeared, it was gone. He sighed and sat forward on the couch. "Oh. Ok, Tawni. I get it."

"Get what?" _Deny everything. _

There was a long moment of comfortable silence. Chad looked down at his sneakers. Just when Tawni thought he had dropped the subject, he said unexpectedly, "Remember our days on _The Goody Gang_?" His smirk revealed boyish dimples. "That was fun, wasn't it?"

_Interesting approach…_ Tawni reluctantly let her guard down. She smiled. "Yeah."

Before she could say more, Chad went on, "Back when life was so much easier. When the only lines we had to memorize were about rounding up puppies, everyone would coo over us regardless of how well or horribly we acted, we had nap time every hour…"

"And no competition from Sonny Munroe," Tawni couldn't help muttering spitefully.

"Just you and I," Chad replied, without missing a beat.

Tawni looked up from her dresser table at the same moment Chad looked up from his spot on the couch. Their eyes met in the mirror.

Once again, Tawni felt her breath catch in her throat. The ensuing silence that hung between them was thick and heavy with unspoken words. As the same memories crossed both minds, the only noise came from the rustling of Chad's blazer and the slow tapping of Tawni's makeup brush on the table.

Chad spoke. Tentatively. "You're afraid I'll like Sonny better than you. Don't you?"

At this point, Tawni was no longer surprised at Chad's acute observations, and frankly, too emotionally spent to bother arguing with him.

When there was no answer, Chad ran a hand through his disheveled dirty blond hair and scooted over a bit on the couch. With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, he patted the cushion next to him, motioning Tawni to join him.

Tawni rolled her eyes and pouted, but dragged herself out of her chair and onto the couch. Her body fell into easily into his, as Chad put an arm around her and pulled her closer. Her head rested in the crook of his neck so comfortably, it was as if the two had been molded together that way before. Again, Tawni allowed the pine-forest scent of Chad's cologne to fill her nose. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes in contentment. The room had been on the cold side, but at the moment, Tawni was warm from head to toe.

As undoubtedly many girls had learned over the years, Tawni Hart realized that being wrapped in Chad Dylan Cooper's arms really was a dream.

"Mm..."

"Yep…" Chad sighed cockily. "I know." Tawni could practically feel him smirking into the top of her golden head.

"Shut up, Goldfarm."

"Ouch, playing the lame last name card. I see how it is."

Tawni smiled faintly but didn't respond, only wanting to stay in the comfort of the moment a little longer.

Indeed, after another silence, Chad became serious again. "Do you remember what I told you on the Goody set that one day?" he murmured, muffled, into Tawni's hair, his breath hot on her forehead. "During that one nap time after we filmed the episode with the talking donkey?"

Tawni's heart raced. Of course she did. _How could I not_? She still thought about it all the time. But she only lied and murmured, "No." _I want to hear him tell me again._

Chad stretched his neck, as if seeing if anyone was around, then muttered, "You know that if you repeat this to anyone, I'll steal your hair products." He added in afterthought, "And use them. Especially that melon conditioner on your dresser."

"Okay, okay, geez." Tawni held up her hands in mock defeat. "Thank you, Ryan Seacrest. I won't tell."

Chad huffed, but ignored the jab. He smiled and slowly brought his face to Tawni's, so that they were nose-to-nose. Tawni giggled.

"We'll always be together, just you and I," he quoted from his childhood. "I'm Chad Dylan Cooper; I can pick anyone I want to be my best friend! But out of everyone, I'd just pick you, Tawni. Like a game duck-duck goose. I'd skip over everyone else, tapping over their heads. But I'll always stop at you. You'll always be my goose, Tawni."

_You'll always be my goose, Tawni._

The words seemed to take form and reverberate in the air in front of Tawni's clear blue eyes. The room around her seemed to fade away, the silk gold curtains replaced by a wall plastered with trains and sailboats. The handsome, dimpled teenager currently pressed against her morphed into a wise-eyed young blond child, complete with a missing front tooth. For a wonderful, fleeting moment, Tawni felt as if she were transported back to when she was six.

"Thanks, duck-duck," she whispered and smiled, her voice heavy with emotion.

"My pleasure. So don't worry about me liking this Sonny Munroe, okay? Even if she looked like Jessica Alba... okay, well, she'll be hot. But she'll never be my goose. _You _will. And nobody will ever change that."

"Really?" Tawni raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Even if she looked like Jessica Alba?"

Chad thought a while. "Ok, but would you really deny me Jessica Alba? Honestly, Tawni. What kind of a friend are you?"

Tawni laughed, a rare genuine chime, causing Chad Dylan Cooper to let out a low chuckle too.

The two sat there, in each other's arms, for a long time, not sure if the time that passed was in minutes or hours. If you had happened to stumble upon the two at that moment and hadn't known anything about their stories; known that she was a fragile young girl in need of a prince to save her before her cynicism drowned her alive, or known that he was a young actor playboy who rarely felt the need to be loyal to anyone, you probably would've assumed that they were simply two normal teenagers blissfully in love.

But as we know now, Tawni's story was anything but simple.

Because along with the secret past she was so intent on masking, she had another secret she would never share with anyone in Studio 2.

In fact, Tawni wasn't even too sure of it herself. The idea had been born a long time ago, but had since lingered around in her head, making an appearance every once in a while (much to her annoyance). She had considered it in the past, but wrote it off as a ridiculous and embarrassing phase.

But now, as she sat entangled in this boy's arms and pressed against his warm frame, she began to realize what she had secretly known all along.

Tawni Hart loved Chad Dylan Cooper.

With the strength of a ball of fire, with as much love as she knew, with almost childlike desire.

And with all the heart that she still had to offer.

Of course, Tawni knew that nothing would ever happen. She understood herself well enough to know that her life was just like that – she just wasn't the type to have things go her way. _The extra never gets the guy in the end. That kind of stuff is reserved for the main character. _

To prevent herself from getting hurt, Tawni knew she couldn't follow her heart. As much as it hurt to force herself to detach from Chad, she knew it would hurt even more to keep falling in love with him and then end up seeing him fall in love with someone else.

Which explained why Tawni always tried so hard to put on either an apathetic or even hostile front when interacting with Chad.

After all – for as long as she could remember, Tawni Hart had been an actress.

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(A/N) How was it? I hope you liked it! Please feel free to leave me some inspiration with a review/question/comment/anything. It really does make me write better and faster, believe it or not! Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon. (:


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